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She

This is the last day of
October, which means this will be the last post for Male Special Part 2: Ways of Being A Man, as well as the very last
post of two-parts Male Special this
year. October has been a roller-coaster month. Though it wasn’t all bad,
apparently October is still not my month. I remember I cried many times because
of many things. I also remember I laughed at many good things too. Sadness and
happiness are quite well-balanced, though the sadness get to the saddest point,
yet the happiness doesn’t get to the happiest. Well, I guess we just can’t get
both at the same time, right? Anyway, big things happened this month. And some
life-changing moments happened too. Therefore October will always be a
remarkable month for me. Here it is, the last song for this Male Special, is a song titled “She”,
performed by Elvis Costello. Apparently, there are certain ways a woman wants
to be loved by a man. And this song probably sums up everything.

“She, may be the beauty or the
beast, may be the famine or the feast, may turn each day into a heaven or a
hell. She may be the mirror of my dreams, a smile reflected in a stream. She
may not be what she may seem inside her shell.” –Elvis Costello, She [OST. Notting Hill]

Originally, “She” is a song
written by Charles Aznavour and Herbert Kretzmer and
released by Aznavour as a single in 1974. The pop song was written as a theme
tune for the British TV series, “Seven Faces of Woman”. In 1999, Elvis
Costello recorded a cover version of the song for the soundtrack to the
film “Notting Hill”.

“She” might be sung by a
man, yet from my point of view, this song lyrically describes how a woman wants
her man to feel about her. Not only to be loved with all of his heart, but a
woman also wants to be adored; not only for all of her beauty and goodness, but
also for all of her flaws. “She, may be
the face I can’t forget, a trace of pleasure or regret, may be my treasure or
the price I have to pay. She may be the song that summer sings, may be the
chill that autumn brings, may be a hundred different things, within the measure
of a day.” Not only to be accepted for all of her, but a woman also wants
to be understood; not only for all the joy she brings, but also for all of the
pain and sorrow she may cause. “She, may
be the beauty or the beast, may be the famine or the feast, may turn each day
into a heaven or a hell. She may be the mirror of my dreams, a smile reflected
in a stream. She may not be what she may seem inside her shell.”

A real man will not only
love his woman in his own way, but also in the way she wants to be loved. Not
only to be praised, but also to be remembered. Not only to be forgiven, but
also to be desired. “She who always seems
so happy in a crowd, whose eyes can be so private and so proud, no one’s
allowed to see them when they cry. She may be the love that cannot hope to
last, may come to me from shadows of the past, that I’ll remember till the day
I die.” Not only to be protected, but also to be fought for. Not only to be
with during the good days, but also during the bad times. A woman wants to be
the gravity, the purpose, to be loved completely and undivided, to be the safe
haven. “She, may be the reason I survive,
the why and wherefore I’m alive, the one I’ll care for through the rough and
ready years. Me, I’ll take her laughter and her tears, and make them all my
souvenirs, for where she goes I’ve got to be, the meaning of my life is she.”

Costello’s version was
released as a single in 1999, taken from the album “Notting Hill: Music from
the Motion Picture”. His rendition is a pop ballad with an element of soft
rock. In
the movie, the song was
featured over the opening and closing credits, making it
famous as one of signature theme songs for “Notting Hill” up to nowadays.

“She, may be the reason I survive,
the why and wherefore I’m alive, the one I’ll care for through the rough and
ready years. Me, I’ll take her laughter and her tears, and make them all my
souvenirs, for where she goes I’ve got to be, the meaning of my life is she.”
–Elvis Costello, She [OST. Notting Hill]

“She, may be the face I can’t
forget, a trace of pleasure or regret

May be my treasure or the
price I have to pay

She may be the song that
summer sings, may be the chill that autumn brings

May be a hundred different
things, within the measure of a day

She, may be the beauty or
the beast, may be the famine or the feast

May turn each day into a
heaven or a hell

She may be the mirror of my
dreams, a smile reflected in a stream

She may not be what she may
seem inside her shell

She who always seems so
happy in a crowd, whose eyes can be so private and so proud

No one’s allowed to see them
when they cry

She may be the love that
cannot hope to last, may come to me from shadows of the past

That I’ll remember till the
day I die

She, may be the reason I
survive, the why and wherefore I’m alive

The one I’ll care for
through the rough and ready years

Me, I’ll take her laughter
and her tears, and make them all my souvenirs

For where she goes I’ve got
to be, the meaning of my life is she, she, she”